- from 'The Phantom Tollbooth' [Norton Juster]
[Readings: 08] Business Reporting
Wednesday, October 13, 2010In my opinion, like almost any other beat, business reporting can maximize its scope when it could give human interest stories apart fom the usual explanation of the economy, the stock market and so on. Articles such as the ‘10 richest men in the country’ or the ‘20 outstanding young entrepreneur’ and the like almost never fail to get the readers interested because almost everybody fantasizes about being in the list someday.
Business reporting not only informs the public about who’s making the most money. It also interprets the economic realities of common people. This is shown in the article from the New York Times about ‘ordinary people’ looking for jobs whose employments were deeply affected by economic turmoil large in scope.
Skills in business reporting is also an instrument in keeping watch of anomalies or questionable steps taken by the government. Being the society’s watchdog, it is but imperative that the press be prompt and effective in making sure that those holding the public offices and those entrusted by the people to serve are doing right. As in Malou Mangahas’s article on the questionable existence of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the press is instrumental in pointing out the government’s actions that are “in limbo” and “headless, listless, and without direction.”
So, George Harmon in his article “Grading Business Journalism,” asked, “Who’ll protect the public?” from all these nuances and abuses? “Maybe the press,” he says. Learning business reporting entails sustained interest, training, and practice on the field “poring through 10-Ks.” The field is a complex one and it takes a good deal of dedication on both the parts of the student and the teacher.
But it seems that it’s worth it. Only few journalists are interested in specializing in this area. It’s an advantage to be one of the few who understands the business realities and skilled enough to write about it. It is surely an advantage to be able to relay to people the idea that business and economics affect everybody.
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